


Ari: Introduction to the Grand Wharf

by Tress13



Series: Ariliel Stories [3]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: Child Abuse Mentioned, Gen, Homeless Child, hunger, petty thief
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 06:57:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23007541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tress13/pseuds/Tress13
Summary: In Nym on muggy evenings Mama would always sing while she called up a cool wind and sometimes Papa would play on the koto. Ari and her siblings would snuggle up to Nanae and fall asleep listening to Papa and Mama.Nights in Nym had been filled with soft sounds, gentle winds, and the creaking of the branches that surrounded their home.Ari, however, was nowhere near Nym.Nor was she with Nanae, or Mama, or Papa, or anyone else she knew.
Series: Ariliel Stories [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1556842





	Ari: Introduction to the Grand Wharf

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off of a heavily home-brewed D&D game.  
> Ariliel (Ari) is my character and an air-genasi of elven heritage. In game she's a wizard and cleric.  
> This story takes place during her teen years, when she was recently separated from her family.

The Grand Wharf was significantly warmer than home.  
Or. . . warmer than what was her home.

In Nym on muggy evenings Mama would always sing while she called up a cool wind and sometimes Papa would play on the koto. Ari and her siblings would snuggle up to Nanae and fall asleep listening to Papa and Mama.  
Nights in Nym had been filled with soft sounds, gentle winds, and the creaking of the branches that surrounded their home.

Ari, however, was nowhere near Nym.  
Nor was she with Nanae, or Mama, or Papa, or _anyone_ else she knew.

Ari was in the Grand Wharf.  
The heat and humidity of the southern coast city and the strangeness of the place had made sleeping difficult.  
Growing paranoia had been an issue as well after a rather rude awakening to the realities of the Grand Wharf.

Ari had been here for about three weeks.  
She did not know anyone here.  
She did not know her way around the winding streets.  
She would have run out of money and any items she could sell to earn money a week ago now, except what little she possessed hadn’t even lasted past her first night in the Grand Wharf. She’d been mugged while looking for a tavern.  
The only thing that Ari managed to save was her pretty crystal from Mama, and only that because she kept it in a dirty pouch around her neck.  
Ari had thought about selling it, but she didn’t know how much it was worth. She didn't even know where she could sell it, and she was pretty sure that she’d get screwed out of whatever worth it did have if she tried to pawn it anyways.  
… Also, it was the only thing left that was _hers_ after the storm.

Out of money and with no other resources, Ari had resorted to begging for awhile but most days that resulted in very little coin.  
It had, however, resulted in several injuries from a certain jerk guard.  
Soon Ari started to learn.  
It didn’t take long for Ari to learn to keep her mouth shut and her head down . . . or as much as possible, it was difficult at times to not try and argue about the unfairness of it all.  
She learned to retreat to shadows and alleys when she saw trouble coming; trouble being anything from rowdy sailors to encroaching terf wars to violent guards.

Ari Learned to wait for food to be thrown out into the trash heaps behind taverns and restaurants.  
She learned to stay far enough back in the shadows to not be chased away by grumpy proprietors or employees, and then to rush in when the moment presented itself to grab whatever parts looked edible - and occasionally even things that looked less than edible.  
It took some experimenting and observation to try and figure out when and where was best for searching through refuse.

However fast Ari learned tricks and strategies for living in her new state of being, it never seemed quite enough.  
There were always other street kids and beggars who were quicker and more knowledgeable than Ari.  
Most nights she went hungry.

This particular night, Ari was feeling the effects of the long and hot day spent avoiding bully guards and common thugs on an empty stomach.  
She was tired, sore, and hungry. Ari’s vision blurred as she struggled to stay focused on finding something to eat. Her head seemed to spin and her limbs felt heavy and achy.  
Ari tried to climb further up and into the trash heap, but the unstable pile shifted under her and she lost her footing.  
Ari fell into the large trash pile.

It stunk to the planar gates and back; there were rats and flies everywhere and Ari’s head pounded sharply in pain. Her limbs felt heavy and sore, and her stomach ached.  
Ari had fallen into a slight gap near the wall at the back.  
The heat of the Grand Wharf made the stench worse, but the stone of the wall was cool against Ari’s feverish skin.

It was fine.  
It would be fine.  
She just needed to make it a little bit longer.  
She’d pick herself up and maybe she could get enough food and coin to make it to Nym.  
Mama, Papa, and Nanae wouldn’t be there but maybe someone knew where they went.  
Nym was far away. . . but if she could just. . .  
It was fine.  
She just needed to pick herself up and keep going.  
She just needed to. . .  
She just needed. . .  
She just. . .  
Ari’s eyes flickered, and closed as she fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Ari had meant to climb back up after her fall.  
She had meant to make her way out of the dock district to one of the quieter and less violent slums, somewhere with fewer carousing sailors, thugs, or guards.  
She had meant to find a small ally there to hunkerdown for the night.  
She had certainly _not_ meant to spend the entire night sleeping in a large pile of refuse.  
One moment she was closing her eyes - just to rest them for a _minute_ \- and the next thing Ari knew she was waking to the grey light of dawn. . . and to the stench of garbage mixed with salt sea air.  
She could imagine Papa’s nose wrinkling at the smell, the stains, and worse that she was covered in. Her own nose scrunched as she made a face.  
She wished Papa was here. He’d have clever ideas and know how to talk to people and . . .  
But he was not here.  
Ari was by herself. She was alone.

This time of early morning was the quietest the Grand Wharf ever seemed to get - the ruckus of the parties, drunks, and crime of the late night was finally quieting down, but the bustle of the legal - or relatively “legal” - business of the day was not yet in full swing.  
Ari could hear the distant sounds of stalls and shops cleaning their business fronts, preparing for opening. No one was loudly hawking their wares yet, however, and the few others moving about the docks were usually about more _discreet_ business.

Ari’s limbs felt heavy and sore.  
A part of her did not even want to try to move; she wanted to keep her eyes closed and pretend she was back home.  
She could pretend that in a moment Isryl would come jump on her to try and wake her up, and then beg her to come down to the kitchen where everyone else would be.  
She imagined that in the kitchen Zephy would be giggling over a mug of hot chocolate.  
That Papa would be trying to help Nanae prepare breakfast; Nanae smiling at him.  
That Mama would be idly playing with breezes while humming, staring at the branches moving outside the window.  
… But none of that was true, and if she wanted to see her family again then she needed to move.

Ari groaned as she half crawled, half stumbled up and out of the trash heap. She paused for a moment to catch her breath and to give her trembling limbs a rest.  
The night of uninterrupted sleep had helped her ability to think a little bit, but she had fallen unconscious before actually finding anything edible.  
Ari groaned as her stomach still fought a growing, gnawing ache.

Slumped against the wall and half hidden in the shadows of the garbage heap and the walls of the alley, Ari could feel the telltale prickle in her eyes. She tilted her head up to keep tears from falling and fought to steady her breathing.  
After a few shaky breaths, Ari’s eyes trailed out to the small alley’s entrance; the light pouring from the main street was now golden instead of early dawn’s pale gray.

The morning bustle wasn’t close to full swing yet, but the sounds from the street made it clear that the work of day was truly underway now.  
Visible from Ari’s alley were the edges of several vendor’s carts being set up for the day; just around one side of the Tavern wall was a fruit vendor - apples, oranges, bananas, and more.  
Ari’s stomach rumbled and growled.

Merchants in the Grand Wharf knew how to look out for thieves and pick-pockets. The area around a stall and a merchant's person would be carefully watched - though apparently the rancid trash piles in alleyways were not closely inspected.  
The stalls of well-to-do merchants and businesses often included magical wards, alarms, and other anti-theft magics. Expensive items may be individually warded, but mundane wares often were left to rely on enchantments of the stall itself. . . but the bag of tangerines closest to Ari’s hiding spot wasn’t quite _inside_ the stall yet.

Ari had started magic lessons with her Nanae and Mama several years ago, but they had not gotten much further than theory and basics of magical will. Ari couldn’t do more than a few cantrips, but that may be all she needed here.  
Ari hadn’t used any magic in at least a month? Maybe two months? She focused her will, her breathing slow and steady like Nanae taught during lessons. Her voice was a soft whisper as she spoke the magic into being. The arcane energy responded to the twist of her hand and suddenly a second, disembodied hand appeared beside her own, translucent and faintly shimmering.

A broad smile lit up Ari’s face as her magic formed exactly as she desired; she could hardly believe that it had worked! Nanae would be so proud! Well, they might not be entirely happy with the purpose if they were-  
The hand flickered in and out of view as Ari’s concentration wavered; biting her lower lip she focused her will solely on the magical hand in front of her.

Ari kept the mage hand low to the ground, moving slowly in the shadow of the tavern that made up one wall of the narrow alley. She could see that the fruit vendor was busy facing the front of his stall, rearranging a pile of pomegranates. Ari willed the hand to creep carefully up the back of the bag and gently pull one tangerine from near the top, before slipping away with it’s prize back into the shadow.  
Ari was tempted to rush the hand back the twenty or so feet towards her hiding spot in the trash heap, but paranoia that someone might spot a floating tangerine if they glanced down the alley kept her cautious. Once again, she kept the hand low to the ground and in the shadows as it made its way back to her.

As soon as the tangerine was in her hand, Ari let the cantrip drop and the spectral hand disappeared.  
Ari quickly tore away at the tangerine peel, making sure to lap up any juices that leaked onto her hands. Pulling the first piece free from the rest of the fruit, Ari popped it into her mouth and closed her eyes as she relished the sweet taste.

She nearly choked when she heard a quiet giggle from further down the alley.

Coughing, Ari clutched her treat to her chest and turned to stare around the other side of the refuse pile.  
Another girl was standing further down the alley near an open sewer grate. She was small and appeared to be human, a few years older than Ari was herself.  
The other girl walked forward and squatted down, leaning against the opposite wall. Ari sank further back into the trash that surrounded her.

“Well that’s a neat little trick!” the human girl grinned sharply, her eyes sliding towards the alley’s entryway, “Though I’m sure you realize how poorly it could have gone for you, yeah?”

Ari clutched the fruit tighter, some part of her brain registered the waste of the sweet juice currently running down her hands and arms. She looked wildly around for a second before glaring at the human.  
“Yeah, and?” Ari’s voice cracked causing her to wince before scowling at the girl, “Without risk I’m not gonna survive. I can’t die here. I’ve got things to do.”

The grin on the other girl’s lips widened.  
“No need to look so frightened!” She looked Ari up and down, her smile softened just a touch, “You’re obviously new in town, hm? You’re not dead yet. . . not bad.”  
Ari glared, causing the human girl to snort before continuing, “No, _really_ , this city chews up and spits out kids like you all the time. . . but, I know a place that helps kids like you.”

Ari couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that; she might be “new in town” but she knew better than to trust a too good to be true offer like that.

The girl surprised Ari by laughing again, “See! You’re at least a bit clever! But this isn’t charity - they help kids like us by finding. . . odd jobs and errands for them to do, and in exchange we get food and lodging. I’d know, I live there too.”

Ari’s eyes narrowed, “What kind of jobs?”

The girl hummed, “Well. . . not exactly right’n’legal like, but not full illegal either, not usually. Mostly running messages and errands, sometimes being a lookout, sometimes other things. . .”

Ari kept her eyes narrowed, her knuckles almost white instead of blue with how tightly she held her tangerine.

“Look,” the girl sighed, “I get that you’re skeptical - and that’s smart! Honestly I wouldn’t have said anything but I saw what you did with the -” she wiggled her own fingers, obviously referencing Ari’s use of magic, “it was a pretty clever idea, and you were pretty quick and careful with it. I figured that you could be of use to us, and we could be of use to you. It’s mutually beneficial, ya know? Like a family.”

Ari cocked her head to the side, her voice still dry and scratchy “Family?”

“Yeah! Least wise as good as any of us can get! We look out for each other. No one else will.” The girl stood up and offered a hand down to where Ari crouched, “What do you say?”

Ari paused for a moment.  
This still seemed too good to be true. Ari wasn’t in a hurry to find out how many ways her situation could get worse if she trusted the wrong people.  
. . . But, Ari also knew that she would not survive on her own on the streets like this. If she stayed out here without friends or resources she’d ended up starving, or crossing the wrong person, or just being at the wrong place at the wrong time.  
If her situation didn’t change, she’d end up _dead_.

Ari pulled one hand away from the tangerine and extended it towards the other girl who grasped it, pulling Ari to her feet.  
“I’m Serg by the way, what do I call you?” Serg walked back towards the sewer grate she’d apparently come out of.  
Ari wrinkled her nose, but followed anyways. The sewer didn’t seem promising, but she’d slept in a trash heap; she couldn’t judge too harshly.  
Ari popped the rest of the tangerine into her mouth before following Serg down into the darkness below- if she was going to end up murdered or kidnapped she was going to eat her fruit first, by the gods.

“I’m Ari.” Her words were a bit distorted by the fruit she was still chewing, which made Serg laugh once again.

“Well, Ari, welcome to the Grand Wharf!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Nanae - gender neutral term for parent


End file.
